GM WhtKnt's GURPS Infinity Unlimited (Inactive)

Game Master WhtKnt

what is the timeline for the next set murders?

Okay, let's see if we can't get this thing back on track. We were doing well, but we seem to have lost momentum.

According to the briefing, Stride and Eddowes were killed in the early morning of Sunday 30 September 1888. Stride's body was discovered at about 1 a.m. in Dutfield's Yard, off Berner Street (now Henriques Street) in Whitechapel. The current local date and time are 28 September 1888, 2130 hours. This gives you roughly 27.5 hours before Stride's body will be found.

"If this creature could be so bold," says Ezekiel, standing beside Thom and doing his best to appear nonchalant, "to offer Sir Thom advice. It is nightfall, and the fated hour approaches--it will be a day before she is found, according to the briefing. I would surmise that Stride will meet her fate soon. We should do our best to find her before then, to ensure that she meets with her destiny at the appointed hour."

"My own skills are more suited to the darkness of the forest, but there are those among us who will find the city a perfect arena for their talents. Given Stride's profession, you or Sir Humphrey could seek her out by posing as potential clients. If we can find other ladies of the evening but not Stride herself, then Lady Mei will possess a natural rapport with them given her history--she might be to find Stride herself. And I can stalk the back-alleys of this neighborhood if other methods fail us," continues Ezekiel.

"And I would further urge that once we find Stride that we do not approach her; we merely watch and observe. We are not, after all, here to be guardian angels; we must only ensure that the devil is able to take his due with her. Once we find her, the Lady Chou would be best able to observe without risking occult knowledge," says Ezekiel, in reference to the fact that C'Deth can learn the Ripper's identity without affecting Homeline. "I am capable of watching unnoticed as well, and imagine that Lady Mei is too, but I do not know if our presence would be without risk as Chou's would."

good idea. I will need to buy some appropriate dressing more suited for this area. Something with some rips and grime from a local laundry who will sell those dresses cheap as they were never picked up. Let us find that first

C had been merely going along with the group, having no input. But now, she holds up a hand. "If I may, our mission is to ensure that, Primus, nobody else finds out who Jack the Ripper is. And to, Secundus, ensure that the bodies of the two victims are found? In which case, I propose we adopt an insurance policy. We must find the two victims before they die. Obtain samples of both's DNA, and then in a worst case scenario, I can pretend to be one or both victims. It is not necessary that Jack the Ripper be found out, or even be alive. It is important only that his victims are located. I can play both corpses, so long as I can get out of the Mortuary during the day between deaths. Since we know who and where, it might be safest if I took the place of the first victim, while everyone else stays out of sight. The easiest way to ensure that Jack is not discovered is for me to kill them when they attack me, then after disposing of their body, for me to take the place of both victim's bodies. Obviously, we'll need to remove the victims from the timeline, by taking them back. While this is more dangerous for us, it is the safer method of ensuring that Jack's identity is never discovered, since once I kill them, it will be impossible for anyone to know who they were." She pulls a vial out of her waistband. "And as to making sure I kill them, I doubt they can withstand a blow from a Tiger, and identification will be difficult if I maul their face and body. Jack will be a 'John or Jane Doe' who was attacked by a wild animal. Unusual, but not outrageous."

Amos looks doubtful. There's lots of places where that could go wrong. Why don't we just establish a perimeter around the target and keep an eye out for anything abnormal?

"Because then we are reacting to the other teams moves, putting us on the defensive. Yes, there are things that could go wrong, but it puts us in control."

Amos shrugs. Your call, team lead.

Worried about piling even more options on the Squad leader. "If we find the targets I can establish a connection to each of them for keeping tabs on them"

Ezekiel waits for Amos and C'Deth to finish before smiling and raising his hand; his index finger is extended into a point as he speaks. "I am afraid, Lady Chou, that I must disagree with you. We were told by Pearson to make sure that history unfolds as it is preordained to do. And we were given dispensation to lead them to their fates ourselves if Jack was to be indisposed. There is much more at play than ensuring that two bodies are found."

"We do not know who Jack was; his identity will go undiscovered even into the future. It could be that he was insignificant and will go unnoticed--or not. He may be a pauper but he might be a prince, and a missing prince will have repercussions. In fact, this creature suggest that if Jack is to meet an untimely demise that you should be sure that you learn his identity so you can inform us if there are further ramification to his death," he continues, wrapping one arm across his stomach while scratching his chin with his free hand.

"And this is London, not some isolated village. The English had driven the last wolf from their doors when I was born and I imagine they have only become less common since then. If the doctors here are unable to tell a living body from a dead one, they might not be able to tell someone who fell victim to an animal from someone who was prey to their fellow man. Jack could be mistaken for another victim. And in my day, a body had to be examined quickly before further decay set in--and given the nature of these deaths I assume the doctors would want to examine the bodies immediately."

"I do not know how your magic functions--you can borrow these women's faces, but can you appear as a corpse? Can you spill your viscera onto the street? We may have to go body snatching to ensure the deception is complete. These women were not notable but their deaths were gruesome enough to catch the attention of the world, as it were."

"A tiger is a fearsome creature, but we do not know Jack's nature. There are monsters that walk on four legs but the worst ones know how to walk on two. Lady Mei's spell worked--that means there is some magic on this world, even if only a little. And that is not even taking account our opponents--if they had not eliminated Jack at that point they are likely stalking him as well, and might attack once you reveal your powers."

"We have the addresses of Eddowes and Stride, as well as the last known address of our opponents. I suggest that we check those locations and if we are unable to find them we begin to search for them as I suggested. If we wish to take a more active stance against our opponents then I know a spell that can search for them. And Iban can gaze into the hearts of men. And of course, a silver tongue is a magic all its own," he finishes with a brief little flourish and a slight bow in the direction of Thom and C'Deth. "But forgive me if I have spoken out of turn. I only wish to ensure that we are able to complete our mission as was required of us."

Amos nods, clearly supporting Ezekiel.

I am for following Ezekiel's plan. We will go and stop at a Laundry and pick up some more appropriate clothing for me. Then we will during the daylight remaining examine the addresses of the victims and perhaps be able to either tail them or find our opposing force attempting to follow them as well. We must then also find the addresses where the bodies end up and ensure that Jack is not attacked there and is protected from the shadows to complete his grisly tasks unknown to us and any other. In the meantime I can ensure that I can be close to these girls working and watched over so I don't become a victim of Jack as well.

C nods. "Well, if we are not to go with my idea, then I shall find a place to wait. I cannot assist you in murdering others. That is for your own souls to hold." She smiles. "May your souls find rest, despite the stains on them." She then turns and makes her way back toward the landing pod. "We passed a tavern earlier today that proclaimed it was open 'all day, every day', the Merry Cup. I shall wait for you there."

"The plan at this moment requires us to commit no murders; we have only to prevent our enemies from interfering and then we let history take its natural course. As for what the future holds--well, I am not a soothesayer," he says, looking back at C'Deth, "and the tea leaves spoke to me only of uncertainty and danger when I read them this morning. But of course that is all they have spoken of since I left my home."

"I understand that you have taken the surgeon's oath. But if you wish to prevent these women's death your best chance of doing so is remaining with the group," he continues. "As for the state of my soul, I have no worries; I left it in particularly capable hands."

"Now," he says, turning from C'Deth and offering an arm to Mei. "Miss Mei. If I might accompany you to the laundress to find you more suitably ragged attire and we may then begin our search."

Thom, who had been staring off at nothing in particular, suddenly snaps back to the present. ”Wait, who’s leaving?” he asks.

”Stand down C. We all know that despite signing up for a parachronic security force tasked with the wellbeing of the entire multiverse you’re unwilling to take one life for the good of billions. That’s fine; you don’t have to kill anyone. There’s a chance nobody will have to kill anyone... I’ve been running probabilities while you all where discussing things. There’s way too many variables to establish concrete odds for any one action but analyzing the aggregate trends, I think Ezekiel’s on the right track. Finding and trailing the women is the starting point that seems most likely to yield success. The biggest danger is scaring off the ripper if he makes us, but worst case scenario we send C to the bar and handle that. Best case scenario, we make op-for while they’re tailing; then we might be able to capture or scare them off—no killing—or, they resist, or make us first, and we engage them somewhere clear of the targets which should leave everything else following its projected path, hopefully. If we don’t make them and they don’t make us, then we protect the targets from the shadows until the appropriate murder occurs. Any questions.”

Sir Humphrey, so far quietly chewing on his pipe and either nodding or shaking his head disapprovingly, clears his throat. "Quite a productive chinwag, yes.", he harrumphs. "But as the wi..., pardon, Mr. Dubois said,", his tongue slips for a moment, "I have to agree that a precise scientifical approach must be taken. We know only the strict facts, and we must lay the foundation of our plan on them, lest the structure of our variables invariably, if you would pardon the expression, crumbles.", he nods, puffing out a smoke ring.

"Thus, I suggest that the gist of our plan revolves around the two hours before and after the, ahem, act, or even acts. We have no knowledge of where the Centrum would interfere, but we could probably deduce how.", he gestures with his pipe. "And I agree with the good doctor that locating the two individuals is now our top priority. As Ms. Mei and Mr. Dubois are conducting their own errand, the rest should attempt locating them as quickly as possible." Clearing his throat, he continues.

"We could undoubtedly guess to which social class the women were a part of, and thus, begin an outward sweep of fitting locations until we find people who know them, and take it from there. Bah!", he finishes, as two trails of smoke leave the large man's nostrils.

C stops, and tilts her head. "Thom, I am more than willing to kill. But I am not willing to murder. If you are unable to see the difference, then you have much to learn." She pauses, and then continues. "I ask you to think about your feelings if the agency said that for billions to live, you must kill a child, or even a baby. Now, what if it was the child of an analog of you in another Quanta? What if it was your own child's analog in another quanta? What if it was your own child in your own quanta? Where do you draw the line? Now what if you're told to protect the analog of the person who murdered your child in your own quanta, so they can do so in another quanta? I believe you humans in your quanta have the saying, 'a slippery slope'. If someone is attempting to take sentient life, I will happily end theirs. However, a hypothetical 'may cause a quanta shift' is not enough reason for me to murder innocents. If you want me to kill Jack, and then fake the bodies of the last two victims, I can do that, because Jack is a murderer, his or her life is forfeit by his or her own actions. However, if you want me to actively aid and abed the murder of others, I cannot do that, and I indicated that when I signed up for this mission and this group. You heard me remind the 'powers that be' of that before the mission started. I came along in the hopes I could find a way to reconcile the issues, which I did. But if you choose not to take the high road, I cannot stop you. I can only wish your soul a better fate than you are setting it up for. There is no math to this, trading one life for billions is trading one's soul for the theory of saving billions. In other words, it's the easy way." She then turns to continue walking away.

C's not going to actively assist in the murder of innocent bystanders. Sorry.

28 September 1888 - 2200 local time

Finding an appropriate disguise for Mei proves much easier than anticipated and only takes about 30 minutes.

After assisting Mei in finding her more appropriate clothing, he bids her good luck on her search. As his own skills do not particularly revolve around talking to others, he heads in a different direction: towards Dutfield's Yard. He tries to stick to dark, poorly illuminated alleyways if at all possible as he patrols the area.

Stealth 13: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 3) = 10

For the record, I completely approve of the fact that we have a party member with strong morals.

Sir Humphrey harrumphs after C speaks her mind. "Bah!", he says at both her and Thom. "If you wouldn't mind me chipping into this conversation, I would quite frankly point out that pondering onto the metaphysical and theoretical application of morals is admirable, indeed, but is a mental exercise ill-suited for our particular temporal predicament." He clears his throat, tapping his cane on the ground. "Quite frankly, I believe that stopping the Centrum agents is paramount for the most ethically and effective solution for our endeavour, and I judge this to be the best course of action." Leaping up from his chair with startling speed for a man his size, he puts on his coat. "Mister IBAN!", he shouts at the smaller man. "I suggest you and I go find location on the dames of, hm, commercial affection.", he says with a chuckle, walking out of the door.

Basically, pretending to be a high-class gentleman in search for a couple of particular ladies of the night he fancies. Whether he'd be more of the lovestruck variety, or simply a man with preferences, he'd judge on a person by person basis.

Savoir-Faire to blend in as someone going to that neighbourhood: 13 - 3d6 ⇒ 13 - (2, 4, 1) = 6
Fast-Talk to extract infomation about the particular women: 12 - 3d6 ⇒ 12 - (2, 4, 2) = 4

Amos exits with Humphrey and Iban. He hovers near them at all time, but always separate from them as well.

Well, just remember, strong alien morals. I'm quite sure Mr. W-S would find some of the things C is willing to do quite immoral and disturbing. :P For example, she'd have no issues torturing a murderer for information, and would be exceptionally good at it...

Mei will go rent a room a bit outside of the area so it is not so flea ridden and a bit more acceptable for clients and then she will make her way to the area where the two women might be found and place herself in a door way to be watched by the group members who have come with her and to watch out for the two ladies in question and for the Centrum team members. She is, however, not looking for Jack one bit and putting herself out of his path as she doesn't want to be a new victim nor does she wish to know him.

Amos sets himself up across from Mei and keeps an eye out for suspicious activity.
Forward Observer 9 or Observation 11: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 4) = 12
Acute hearing 2, taste and smell 3, not sure how those play into this.

The group splits up, each taking on their own task.

Iban will attempt to make contact with the young woman. [b]"Your quary

Telesend 12-: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 4) = 7

Sir Humphrey's moustache ruffles from side to side as he looks around to ensure nobody but them and the woman can overhear their conversation. "Good afternoon, madam.", he greets in a quieter voice. "My associate and I are performing a task on behalf of Her Majesty's government.", he says. "We have received information from a reliable source that two... colleagues of yours have been inadvertently in contact with elements, hostile to this realm." Gesturing out his elbow, Sir Humphrey urges the woman to walk with him. "We are willing to offer a not-insignificant monetary reward to someone who is able to point us to where one Catherine Eddows and one Elizabeth Stride usually... operate. Nothing would help us more than their home addresses, in fact."

He clears his throat. "And, so we can avoid misunderstandings, we do not aim to take any punitive actions towards the two women, of course.", he harumphs. "Our goal is to simply attempt to beat the seditious foreign elements at their game, and as such, secrecy is key." He affixes his jacket, glancing down at the woman. "Of course, your discretion on this matter would be similarly well appreciated.", he nods.

then Mei will be obvious about it completely following them and calling out as she goes to be a distraction for her companion.

Hey gov', how about you and the missus fancy a toss in the sheets? You both look like fancy folk. A few quid get you a fine night.

Mei will keep a running conversation going in the deserted streets following the two very rich people being a moving distraction.

Hey gov'. You and the missus sure do look posh. Come on, give a workin girl the time of day?

this would be a really good D&D character

Mei will nod to Amos and continue the shadow in her illusionairy form no longer at threat from the ripper at this point as she looks like just another sooty english industrial worker walking down the streets.

Amos breaks off and heads for Iban